Story by Aggrey Twesigye
Cattle traders under the Kiyenje-Kyenshama Cattle Traders Association in Mbarara District have raised serious concerns over alleged irregularities in the awarding of the Kyenshama cattle market tender in Nyabisirira Town Council.
The association, made up of 230 members with UGX 90 million in savings, claims it was unfairly excluded from the tendering process despite meeting all the required qualifications.
During a Wednesday meeting, members expressed frustration, accusing the district’s Chief Administrative Officer and District Chairperson of sidelining them without explanation.
Association chairperson David Katuramu alleged that the tender was awarded to individuals with personal connections to district leaders, bypassing genuine cattle traders.
Bernard Mugume, the district councillor for Kashare Sub-county, criticized the decision, revealing that the association had proposed to collect UGX 13 million in monthly revenue, but the tender was awarded to another bidder offering only UGX 11 million—a move he said could cost the district UGX 2 million monthly.
Treasurer Dues Mushabe called for transparency and fairness in public tendering, urging the district to revisit the decision for the sake of justice and improved revenue collection.
